Turkey, Israel continue flotilla negotiations

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ANKARA, Turkey, May 6 (UPI) -- Turkish and Israeli officials are sorting out details of financial compensation offered in response to a deadly flotilla raid in 2010, a diplomat said.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey in March for the 2010 deaths of nine Turkish nationals on a Gaza relief flotilla. Netanyahu said there were "operational mistakes" made during the incident.

Normally warm relations between Israel and Turkey were strained by the incident. Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu led a delegation to Israel for a second round of talks Monday, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reports.

The visit is the first for high-ranking Turkish officials since the incident. A senior Turkish diplomat told the newspaper on background that both sides were working out what compensation may be offered to the families of those killed.

Israeli forces boarded a Turkish-flagged vessel operating in international waters in 2010. Nine civilians were killed during the incident. Israeli personnel said they acted in self-defense.